


A Midsummer’s Dream Come True

by Lunarium



Category: A Redtail's Dream (Webcomic)
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Midsummer, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14958023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: It’s Juhannus, and Tuomi feels a little left out. Luckily, it’s a time for dreams coming true.





	A Midsummer’s Dream Come True

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TereziMakara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TereziMakara/gifts).



Twigs from young birch trees and flowers adorned the wooden front doors of every house of the countryside. There was not a single house not decorated. Scent of grilled sausages amidst lit bonfires assailed his nostrils. Heat brushed against his cheek after passing every sauna. They too had been lit and made ready, and fresh birch whisks had been prepared for use. 

Tuomi sneezed. 

Midsummer, or Juhannus as it was known in Finland, was underway, and Tuomi was growing grumpier by the moment. 

Rows of fresh drinks lined tables set for the picnics, but Paju had strictly forbade him from drinking, as he hadn’t quite reached eighteen. 

Which was dumb. He would be turning eighteen in a few more weeks. Most of his peers were already old enough to drink, and were celebrating with the others, while he—their leader—had to content with a glass of water that taste like spit even with a dozen ice cubes melting inside, or angrily licking a snow-cone as he watched his betrayers joining the adults swimming at the river—risks of drowning were highest around this time due to the increase in drunkenness and lack of caution near the lakes, but Tuomi didn’t care to give his friends reminder of that. 

Music filled the air, and several danced, but Tuomi wasn’t one for dancing, even if it looked nice tonight. But he didn’t have someone to dance with, like a friend too busy getting drunk off their bum and jumping into the cool river, potentially to their death. 

He may have been just a tiny bit bitter. 

Paju was busy with keeping everything about the picnic running smoothly, as she was wont to do. He didn’t think to go offering his hand to help. She had forbade the fun, she can suffer the consequences. He didn’t even want to be here anyway. Same stupid celebration year after year. Right now Tuomi could have been back in the village practicing a tune with his kantele or feeding the hare who had become his friend. 

Tuomi had grown so found of that hare. It was perhaps silly to confess this, and for that reason Tuomi never spoke of it, but a while back he had a dream of a hare who knew all his secrets, all of his dreams and wishes, and was there for him every step of the way. He had never abandoned him even when Hannu fought with Tuomi. 

When he had awoken, Tuomi had found a hare just like him in the village, but the hare didn’t speak (of course not, silly), but Tuomi fed him some carrots from home, and spoke with him until he felt like the dream from before had returned. 

He smiled sadly. He wanted his hare here, but it wasn’t a house hare one could domesticate, and Tuomi didn’t like the idea of caging him. He hated being at home; how could he put another in a cage? And he loved knowing that his friend could slip in and out of his life. The hare was wild like Tuomi; he was meant for the outside world. 

He bit off the melting tip of the snow-cone. Finland was experiencing a record high of heat this June, very unusual for this region. But that didn’t stop them from raising the flags and setting the bonfires and carrying about their usual business, even with climate change mucking things about. 

His eyes turned towards it, thinking of the God Kokko. 

_Hey, if you’re really there…_ , he thought and paused. This was dumb. He wasn’t one for praying, but…it didn’t hurt. _Hey, if you’re really out there, don’t let tonight suck._

*

Little Hare peered over the tall rock. He had followed the car the entire way up here just to keep an eye on Tuomi, nearly getting run over a couple times and almost losing sight of the car twice as much.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tuomi sitting, safe and sound, if looking like he wished he could disappear from that spot. 

“You really care for him,” said a voice from behind. 

Little Hare yelped and jumped. But it was only Kokko. Though she stood with her great wings engulfing the entirety of the sky, she was still not visible to any human eye. 

“I wanted to make certain he is safe,” Little Hare said, hoping he would not get reprimanded for coming all the way here. He was a spirit. He didn’t need to worry about getting hunted or any of that. But perhaps meddling with a human may not be met with such approval. 

“Would you like to be with him?” Kokko asked. 

Gasping, Little Hare turned back towards her. “Pardon?” 

He thought she had spoken a joke, but she was smiling sincerely. 

“Today is the Midsummer,” she said, “and a time for miracles and wishes to come true.” 

Little Hare bowed his head. If he were human, his face would be beat red by now. 

“I…”

“That is answer enough,” she said with a nod of her head. 

He felt her magic wrap around him, and after an instinctive hop, he kept in his place until he felt the magic sweep over his head and close over him completely like the rushing sound of water against his ears.

*

Tuomi gasped as a young man’s head popped from the river near his feet, gasping for breath. The young man pulled the fringes off his face and looked up. With a yelp he scrambled to the shore and pushed to his feet, shivering like…like a scared rabbit.

“Hey, you’re not part of Hannu’s group,” Tuomi said slowly, staring at the boy. “Nor Paju’s.” 

“No, I came by myself,” he said. “I was…er, dropped in the river by accident by a…friend, yeah.” 

“I thought you said you came alone,” Tuomi said, stepping closer. 

The boy swallowed thickly. “Long story. Someone followed me.” 

Tuomi nodded. Good enough. “What’s your name? I feel like I’ve seen you before. Your eyes…they’re…familiar.” 

“I’m…” The boy’s throat had visually gone dry. He struggled for a bit before he could find his voice again. “Johannes. You can call me Johannes.” 

“Named after the day, huh?” Tuomi said with a little smirk. He held out his hand. “Well, I like it. I like your eyes too.” 

Johannes twitched and gave a tiny smile. 

Tuomi smiled inwardly. Slowly yet surely a suspicion grew inside. Had his own wish come true?

“Do you dance?” Tuomi asked. “I hate dancing, but I’m bored here, and maybe if I have someone that I like dance with me, I might…I dunno, enjoy it?” 

Johannes grinned. His two front teeth were slightly larger than typical. “I’d love to! I’m no expert, but…” 

“Then let’s wreck the dance floor!” Tuomi laughed and took his hand. 

The sun would not set until well into the night, but Tuomi would dance and laugh and fill his hands with the softness of Little Hare Johannes, the hare-turned-boy who Kokko had granted him, for at least this one night. 

Perhaps Midsummer wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
